Thanks to Indian cellular provider Vodafone Essar (others will follow), you can now download OS 6 and upgrade your Bold. OS 6 is a huge leap forward, even for non-touchscreen devices – the WebKit default browser alone is worth the upgrade.

Package Version: 6.0.0.1478
Applications: 6.0.0.380

Software Platform: 6.6.0.86

File name: 9700jAsia_PBr6.0.0_rel1478_PL6.6.0.86_A6.0.0.380_Vodafone_Essar_Limited.exe

File size: 150.12MB

Download URL: https://www.blackberry.com/Downloads/entry.do?code=15CF76466B97264765356FCC56D801D1

The procedure remains the same as for any OS update:

1. If you’re a corporate / BES user, I recommend doing this from your work desktop if possible. Makes re-activation automatic and painless.
2. Make sure you have the latest version of BlackBerry Desktop Manager installed
3. Do a *full* backup of your device using Desktop Manager
4. I recommend you then delete all 3rd party applications to simplify the upgrade (you can re-install them afterwards), especially those which automatically start at boot. Desktop Manager makes this quick and easy, with only one device restart required.
5. Download and install the OS 6 install (on your PC/Mac) – be sure to get the correct installer for your device model (e.g. the Essar URL above is https://www.blackberry.com/Downloads/entry.do?code=15CF76466B97264765356FCC56D801D1)
6. If you are installing an update from a different cellular provider (e.g. you downloaded from Essar above, but they’re not your local provider) then delete the “vendor.xml” file (on Win7, located in “Program Files –> Common Files –> Research in Motion –> AppLoader”)
7. Run “loader.exe” in the same AppLoader directory and follow the prompts
8. Voila!

If you get stuck with BES / Enterprise activation, this may help.

General comments on OS 6 on my Bold 9700 so far:

• Snappy performance – no noticeable lag
• The new WebKit based browser rocks. Finally, a decent default fast browser with tabbing, proper rendering, decent zooming etc. I’ll still likely use Opera Mini in parallel though.
• Reboots down from 7 minutes (!) to under 2
• Taking photos is faster – and browsing images is *much* faster, especially for large collections
• I’m not sure how I survived without universal search / search from the home screen rocks
• Setup / config menus are far more intuitive and usable
• Social feeds – we’ll see.
• “Application Management” has been hugely improved – finally you can see what apps are running, which are chewing up CPU cycles (now and by day) and memory usage. Excellent.

If you want to upgrade (give you something to play with while we all wait for OS 6 later this year), the procedure is as detailed in my previous post Upgrading Your BlackBerry Operating System, and is much faster on the 9700 (took around 40 minutes). You can grab version 743 from the Rogers Wireless BlackBerry download page:

Package Version: 5.0.0.1254
Consisting of:

Applications: 5.0.0.743
Software Platform: 5.1.0.165
File name: 9700M_PBr5.0.0_rel1254_PL5.1.0.165_A5.0.0.743_Rogers_Wireless_Inc.exe
File size: 133.47MB

Improvements:

1. Generally improved phone responsiveness (no more occasional lagging when switching between running apps, media/photo browser is *far* faster with large collections, even the bootup process after a reset is somewhat faster)
2. Browser performance noticeably improved (hotspot / wifi browser in particular)
3. Better battery life (I don’t have metrics, but it definitely seems significantly better)
4. GPS locks are faster (previously locks would take ages, or simply fail after a few minutes)

Changes / potential issues:

• The lock button no longer password locks the phone. Screen is turned off and keypad locked (from accidental presses, like standby) but not password locked as it was before. Not a biggie, since you can still easily lock the phone using the lock icon.
• Standby (via the top mute button) no longer works. However the lock button does pretty much the same thing now as far as I am concerned.
• AT&T users bitching that visual voicemail is broken (not supported locally by MTN so no loss for me).

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer here, if you’re not comfortable upgrading your phone then don’t. Backup! One of the great things about a BB is the ease of backing up (and should something go wrong, restoring) the phone. This is a new OS version, so you may want to search forums and the like for other user experiences with it before you upgrade.

In the BlackBerry world, your service provider (MTN South Africa in my case) approves the version of OS and default application software available for your phone model – MTN currently only approve package version 4.5.0.52 (Applications: 4.5.0.37, Software Platform: 2.7.0.55) which was released around June 2008 and is quite buggy.

My phone was stable as long as I didn’t install any 3rd party apps (BerryBuzz which is highly recommended, GMail, Google Maps, Garmap for Mobile which is great and *free* for MTN users – go MTN, UberTwitter, Opera Mini…) but as soon as I did, it became horribly unstable – locking up at least once every 2 days and requiring a battery pull. Having to restart / reboot the phone is a real pain since the phone can take over 5 minutes to boot up / get back to a usable state.

Having an otherwise great phone with an unlimited data plan meant I *really* wanted to be able to install 3rd party apps. A little searching found that other network operators (O2 UK in this case) have approved a much more recent OS / apps version (for my 8310 at least) : package version: 4.5.0.174 (Applications: 4.5.0.124, Software Platform: 2.7.0.92).

Working around MTN’s silly restriction and updating my phone turned out to be easy – these steps are for my reference, and worked for me, but use them at your own risk. This procedure isn’t officially supported by BlackBerry or MTN, caveat emptor. I found the initial guide at blackberryrocks.com, an invaluable resource for all BB owners – and added a few steps and warnings of my own:

1. Download and install BlackBerry Desktop Manager if you don’t already have it (I recommend version 5 or later, especially for Windows 7)
2. Save a complete backup of your phone and data using Desktop Manager
3. Remove any media cards from your phone – failure to do so could mean the upgrade hanging (getting a solid red LED on “connecting to device firmware”).
4. Download the installable version of the OS/applications update.
   Warning: Make sure you download the correct update *for your phone model*, e.g. don’t download an update for the 8350 if you have an 8310. In my case, I downloaded filename “8310M_PBr4.5.0_rel174_PL2.7.0.92_A4.5.0.124_O2_UK.exe” (89.92MB) from the BlackBerry O2 download page.
5. Warning: If you sync with your office via BES, then you need to do the upgrade while connected to the BES via desktop manager – i.e. at work. If you don’t, auto-activation after the upgrade will likely not work, and your phone won’t sync until you manually activate it
6. Run / install the downloaded update
7. If you are installing an update from a different service provider (MTN vs O2 in my case), you need to delete “vendor.xml” in Program Files –> Common Files –> Research in Motion –> AppLoader
8. Run “Loader.exe” in the same AppLoader folder
9. Follow the prompts, set things as you choose, and I recommend allowing the Loader app to do its own backup before the upgrade.

Just be aware this is not a quick process… the upgrade and subsequent re-activation took several hours for me.
Worked for me. I now have a rock-solid crackberry.